Beyoncé Drops Surprise Album

Taking a page straight from her husband's creative-marketing playbook, Beyoncé released a surprise iTunes exclusive album that no one saw coming late last night.

The album, Beyoncé, features 17 tracks, including songs with Drake, Jay Z, Frank Ocean and the singer's baby, Blue Ivy. The album had no promotion or early-release single to build hype for the project. Every track is accompanied by a music video. Currently the album is available directly through iTunes as a complete package; iTunes as users won't be able to download single songs until Dec. 20.

"I see music," Beyoncé said in a press release, the Huffington Post reports. "It’s more than just what I hear. When I’m connected to something, I immediately see a visual or a series of images that are tied to a feeling or an emotion, a memory from my childhood, thoughts about life, my dreams or my fantasies. And they’re all connected to the music.”

The late-night, no-hype album release is a departure from the norm for most singers—but most singers aren't Beyoncé. The singer's husband embraced a similar creative-marketing ploy earlier this year when he release his album Magna Carta Holy Grail as a free digital download for Samsung customers through an app.

"I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it," Beyoncé said. "I am bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my fans. There’s so much that gets between the music, the artist and the fans. I felt like I didn’t want anybody to give the message when my record is coming out. I just want this to come out when it’s ready and from me to my fans. I just want to give my album to the people I love and respect and hope that they feel the same thing I felt when I made the music."